diff --git a/src/chart/photo.test.ts b/src/chart/photo.test.ts
index 8e0eb20..9ca2c7b 100644
--- a/src/chart/photo.test.ts
+++ b/src/chart/photo.test.ts
@@ -17,6 +17,19 @@ const indi = (m: MediaLink[], restrictions: string[] = []) =>
 const on = {allowRemote: true, hideRestricted: true};
 
 describe('photoOf', () => {
+  it('skips scanned documents: only a photo or an image of unknown kind', () => {
+    const scan = (medium: string) =>
+      media('doc.jpg', {
+        files: [{path: 'doc.jpg', medium, translations: []}],
+      });
+    const t = tree({'doc.jpg': 'blob:doc', 'me.jpg': 'blob:me'});
+    expect(photoOf(indi([scan('OTHER'), media('me.jpg')]), t, on)?.src).toBe(
+      'blob:me',
+    );
+    expect(photoOf(indi([scan('CARD')]), t, on)).toBeUndefined();
+    expect(photoOf(indi([scan('PHOTO')]), t, on)?.src).toBe('blob:doc');
+  });
+
   it('takes the first image that can be shown', () => {
     const t = tree({'photos/anna.jpg': 'blob:anna'});
     const p = photoOf(
diff --git a/src/chart/photo.ts b/src/chart/photo.ts
index 802255f..70097e7 100644
--- a/src/chart/photo.ts
+++ b/src/chart/photo.ts
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 // that can be shown, cropped as GEDCOM 7.0 CROP says.
 
 import type {Crop, IndiView, LoadedTree, MediaLink} from '../gedcom/types';
-import {isImageFile, mediaUrl} from '../load';
+import {isPortraitFile, mediaUrl} from '../load';
 
 export interface Photo {
   src: string;
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ const isRestricted = (r: readonly string[]) =>
 
 /**
  * The person's portrait: the first OBJE (the most preferred one in GEDCOM)
- * whose first file is an image we may show — bundled with the tree, or a
+ * whose first file is a photo (not a scanned document) we may show — bundled with the tree, or a
  * linked http(s) image when `allowRemote` is on. Restricted media are
  * skipped when `hideRestricted` is on.
  */
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ function usable(
 ): Photo | undefined {
   if (hideRestricted && isRestricted(media.restrictions)) return undefined;
   const file = media.files[0];
-  if (!file || !isImageFile(file)) return undefined;
+  if (!file || !isPortraitFile(file)) return undefined;
   const src = mediaUrl(tree.media, file.path);
   if (!src) return undefined;
   if (/^https?:/i.test(src) && !allowRemote) return undefined;
diff --git a/src/load/index.ts b/src/load/index.ts
index a4dd222..05ed971 100644
--- a/src/load/index.ts
+++ b/src/load/index.ts
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ export {looksLikeZip, openGedzip} from './zip';
 export {
   decodeFilePath,
   isImageFile,
+  isPortraitFile,
   lookupMedia,
   mediaUrl,
   safeMediaUrl,
diff --git a/src/model/mediaUrl.ts b/src/model/mediaUrl.ts
index 6a0a33e..2540ec0 100644
--- a/src/model/mediaUrl.ts
+++ b/src/model/mediaUrl.ts
@@ -80,3 +80,16 @@ export function mediaUrl(media: MediaMap, path: string): string | undefined {
 export function isImageFile(file: {path: string; mime?: string}): boolean {
   return (file.mime ?? guessMime(file.path))?.startsWith('image/') ?? false;
 }
+
+/**
+ * True when the file may stand for the person as a portrait: an image that
+ * is a photo, or of unknown medium. A scanned document, card or tombstone
+ * (MEDI other than PHOTO) is an image but not a portrait.
+ */
+export function isPortraitFile(file: {
+  path: string;
+  mime?: string;
+  medium?: string;
+}): boolean {
+  return isImageFile(file) && (!file.medium || file.medium === 'PHOTO');
+}
diff --git a/src/ui/media.test.ts b/src/ui/media.test.ts
index 30cb834..a3c86bf 100644
--- a/src/ui/media.test.ts
+++ b/src/ui/media.test.ts
@@ -63,3 +63,27 @@ describe('titleYear', () => {
     expect(titleYear('Портрет')).toBeUndefined();
   });
 });
+
+describe('the portrait', () => {
+  const docTree = treeOf(
+    doc7(
+      '0 @I1@ INDI',
+      '1 OBJE @O1@',
+      '1 OBJE @O2@',
+      '0 @O1@ OBJE',
+      '1 FILE https://images.example.test/O1.jpg',
+      '2 FORM image/jpeg',
+      '3 MEDI OTHER',
+      '2 TITL Свидетельство о смерти',
+      ...obje('O2', 'Портрет'),
+    ),
+  );
+
+  it('is a photo, never a scanned document', () => {
+    const entries = mediaEntries(docTree, docTree.indis.get('I1')!, {
+      hide: true,
+      allowRemote: true,
+    });
+    expect(portraitOf(entries)?.entry.title).toBe('Портрет');
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/ui/media.ts b/src/ui/media.ts
index d4d396b..22600c2 100644
--- a/src/ui/media.ts
+++ b/src/ui/media.ts
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ import type {
   MediaLink,
 } from '../gedcom/types';
 import {yearOf} from '../model/bounds';
-import {isImageFile, mediaUrl} from '../load';
+import {isImageFile, isPortraitFile, mediaUrl} from '../load';
 import {cropBox} from '../chart/photo';
 
 export interface MediaEntry {
@@ -151,7 +151,8 @@ export function blockedHosts(entries: MediaEntry[]): string[] {
   ];
 }
 
-/** The portrait: the first image that can be shown, and its place. */
+/** The portrait: the first photo that can be shown (a scanned document
+ *  is not one), and its place. */
 export function portraitOf(
   entries: MediaEntry[],
 ): {entry: MediaEntry; index: number} | undefined {
@@ -159,7 +160,12 @@ export function portraitOf(
   // years put it.
   let index = -1;
   entries.forEach((e, i) => {
-    if (e.image && e.src && (index === -1 || e.order < entries[index]!.order))
+    if (
+      e.image &&
+      isPortraitFile(e.file) &&
+      e.src &&
+      (index === -1 || e.order < entries[index]!.order)
+    )
       index = i;
   });
   return index === -1 ? undefined : {entry: entries[index]!, index};